Shock Top Liberty In Season Finale

By Tracy Jusay: SPM NY Writer
Posted Monday, September 15, 2008

NEW YORK - With the playoffs on the horizon, the New York Liberty and the Detroit Shock met one last time to wrap up the regular season. In a game that had no effect on playoff seeding, the Shock defeated the Liberty 61-59 in front of an announced 10,042 fans at Madison Square Garden.

“You can take a lot of things from this game,” head coach Patty Coyle said. “This game means absolutely nothing. Regardless of what you tell your players, they know the score. To me, I’m not going to make too much of it. It was our third game in four nights, come Thursday night we’re going to be ready to play. That’s what matters now.”

The Liberty got off to a sloppy start, allowing the Shock to take an early lead in the opening minutes. Katie Smith and Deanna Nolan led Detroit offensively, scoring 14 of the team’s 19 points in the period. A 3-pointer from Ashley Shields put Detroit ahead by eleven with two minutes left in the first stanza. In the final minute of the period, the Liberty cut the deficit to five after back-to-back 3-pointers from Lisa Willis and Ashley Battle.

New York looked to turn things around in the second quarter, but Detroit pushed ahead to eight within the first three minutes. Still unable to find an offensive rhythm, the Liberty struggled both getting to the basket and from the perimeter as the period progressed. Chipping away at the Shock lead, the Liberty cut it to three after a jump shot from Cathrine Kraayeveld. New York’s ball handling issues resurfaced after that point, resulting in turnovers on three key possessions. Going into the break, the Shock were ahead 35-28.

A 3-pointer from Shameka Christon opened the second half, pulling New York to within four. The Shock quickly responded with seven straight points, and were ahead by eleven midway through. New York countered with a pair of three-pointers from Willis and Loree Moore late in the period and looked to build momentum with 3:19 left in the period. Similar to the first half, Detroit countered on the offensive end, squelching any chance for New York to pull closer. Heading into the final frame, the Shock held a seven-point advantage over the Liberty.

Detroit’s lead extended to ten in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. With 3:32 left in the game, a driving layup from Leilani Mitchell cut the deficit to three points, but New York squandered another opportunity on the offensive end with another turnover. The Liberty had one more chance to take control of the game in the final seconds, but the effort went unrewarded, allowing the Shock to depart with the victory.

Nolan and Plenette Pierson scored 11 points apiece to lead all Shock scorers. Nolan also pulled down seven rebounds.

Rookie Erlana Larkins led all scorers with 13 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Liberty. Willis added 12 points and grabbed two rebounds.

“It was a very physical game,” Larkins said. “But it was good for us. Not the fact that it was physical, but just to have that type of mentality heading into the playoffs.”

The Liberty will begin the playoffs with Game 1 against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, September 18 at 7pm ET. The game will be televised locally on the MSG network and nationally on NBA-TV.

The Shock play Game 1 against the Indiana Fever on Friday, September 19 at 7pm ET. The game will be televised nationally on NBA-TV.